Successful-Interviews.pdf

Successful Interviews

A comprehensive business English study guide to job interviews in English

Written by

James Moss

Audio produced & recorded by

Paul Meredith

Online activities by

James Moss

permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Published 2008

Successful Interviews

Table of Contents

(Click a unit title to jump to the start of that unit)

1. Unit 301 - Introduction

pg 4-9

2. Unit 302 – Previous Experience (Part 1)

pg 10-20

3. Unit 303 – Previous Experience (Part 2)

pg 21-30

4. Unit 304 – Talking about Accomplishments (Part 1)

pg 31-40

5. Unit 305 – Talking about Accomplishments (Part 2)

pg 41-51

6. Unit 306 – Discussing your Weaknesses pg 52-61

7. Unit 307 – Questions for the Interviewer pg 62-71

8. Unit 308 – Stress Questions

pg 72-82

9. Unit 309 – Second Round Interviews

pg 83-94

10. Unit 310 – Internal Review of Candidates

pg 94-104

11. Unit 311 – Salary Negotiation pg 105-115

12. Useful Language by Function

pg 116-125

13. Audio & Online Activities (Click here to go to the webpage)

Successful Interviews

BEP 301 – Job Interviews: Introduction

Hello my name is Jennifer. Together with my colleague

Clayton, we’ll be your hosts of this e-book on the

language and skills of job interviews.

People often ask me, “What is the secret to a

successful job interview?” Well, I don’t have any

secrets, but I do have some general guidelines that

we can follow during any interview to ensure the

greatest chance of success. And, in addition, I know

some common types of questions that you are likely

to face, and how you can prepare for them.

This is the first part in our e-book series on job interviews. In this episode, we

will introduce eight main themes – that is, the general guidelines or tips that we

will be exploring over this series. Then, in subsequent episodes, we will zoom in

on different language, interview formats, and question types.

The dialog we will hear in this episode is one where nearly everything that can

go wrong does go wrong. Most of us, including me, have had interviews that

didn’t go as well as we’d have liked them to have gone. But none of us are likely

to have been as unlucky as the main character, Alexander Novak, is in today’s

listening.

Alexander is a foreign student in London who has just finished his Master’s

degree in philosophy. Now he’s looking for a job to start paying back his student

debt. A job search agency has arranged an interview for him as a supervisor in

an electronics retail store. When Alex was a child he used to help his uncle, who

managed a similar store back in Alex’s home of the Czech Republic. Michael, the

store assistant manager, is interviewing him.

As it’s quite a long dialog, we will listen to it in parts. After each part, we will

discuss some of the major mistakes Alex makes.

During this lesson, we will mainly be focusing on skills instead of language. But

be sure to check out the study notes for a list of vocabulary explanations and a

full transcript of this episode.

Let’s begin. As you listen to the first part, see if you can identify some of the

major areas where Alex goes wrong.

Michael: So, Alexander, have a seat. How are you doing today?

Alexander: Well, to tell you the truth, it’s been kind of a bad day.

Michael: Oh? Sorry to hear that.

Alexander: Yes. Well, it’s raining. I don’t really like rainy days.

business english pod

Michael: I see. Right. So how about on a good day? What do you like to do in

your spare time?

Alexander: I like reading and er, watching TV.

Michael: Really? What’s your favorite TV show?

Alexander: Mr. Bean. He’s so funny – like the hone with the Christmas turkey –

did you see that? He reminds me of a lot of the people I meet here. British

people are so funny, you know?

Michael: Yes… they can be. Okay, so let’s get down to business.

Right away, Alex starts off on the wrong foot. The question “How are you doing

today?”, is only meant as a polite greeting, but Alex responds seriously, as if he

was talking to a good friend. He is guilty of being too informal. That is the first

theme that we will look at in this series – Don’t let your guard down – that is,

be appropriately formal even when an interviewer appears very casual, and tries

to set you at ease. In his discussion of his hobbies and his description of British

people as “funny,” like Mr. Bean, Alex continues to make this mistake. And,

unfortunately, he carries on in a joking tone even when Michael, his interviewer,

has started the first formal question of the interview, “Tell me about your

previous experience.”

Alexander: My uncle managed a state-owned electronics company, and I

helped him a lot as a kid. I would be perfect for this job.

Michael: That was in the Czech Republic?

Alexander: That’s right.

Michael: Okay. That sounds good.

Alexander: Except back then, it was not like “customer is king”, know what I

mean?

Michael: Er right. We always try to put the customer first.

Alexander: Yeah, I was just kidding. Me too, of course.

Some humor is okay, but Alex misses an important opportunity to talk seriously

about his experience. Maintaining an appropriate level of formality is a key part

of your professional image. Alex obviously has a problem with this point.

What is the next big mistake Alex makes in the interview?

Michael: Right. Got that. So, what do you consider to be your greatest

accomplishment?

Alexander: I think my greatest achievement is comprehending Klima’s

masterwork, World as Consciousness and Nothing .

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